Chapter 144 Mutated plants

Chapter 144: Chapter 144 Mutated plants

Meanwhile Kai still led the way, walking quickly through the thick forest with Adrian following closely behind. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the survivors, especially after everything that had happened.

But after a few minutes, something caught his attention. The light filtering through the trees was changing. Kai slowed down and glanced toward the sky. The bright daylight that had been there moments ago was fading rapidly, replaced by dark shades spreading across the clouds.

He stopped completely. "Wait, Adrian, isn’t this weird? How is it evening already?"

Adrian nearly walked into his back before stopping as well. He looked toward the sky, and his expression slowly changed when he realized Kai was right. It was happening again. The day was disappearing far too quickly.

"You’re right," Adrian muttered, turning his head from one side to another. "This doesn’t make sense. It was just daytime."

Kai narrowed his eyes. They had already experienced the strange cycle of the sea disappearing and returning, but watching daylight vanish this quickly made the situation even more disturbing.

Before either of them could figure out what was happening, footsteps sounded behind them. Kai immediately turned around.

Talia was approaching with Mark, Alexis, and the other survivors. It seemed as though whatever had been holding them back was no longer an issue because they were moving freely now.

Talia stopped a few feet away and looked at Kai and Adrian. "We want to leave with you guys. Go with you people anywhere you’re going," she exclaimed. "I am tired of this cursed island, and my team are also tired."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Shocking that you’re the one coming to say this after what you tried to do to us. Like we should listen?" He turned away from them, clearly uninterested.

Mark stepped forward. "We know all around this island, and you should know there are traps around here and creatures that come out at night. We’ve learned to survive and avoid them entirely." His voice was much gentler than the malicious tone he had used earlier. Mark glanced toward the darkening sky. "And with what I’m seeing, it’s nighttime already. Let’s go back, and tomorrow morning, as early as possible, we can continue."

Kai studied him carefully. "And you won’t kill us? How and why should we trust you guys when you didn’t give us a reason to put our fate in your hands?"

The group fell silent. Nobody immediately had an answer. Their previous behavior had made trust nearly impossible. They had attacked Kai and Adrian, tied them up, and treated them like potential bait. ℴℴ𝘮

Alexis finally stepped forward. "We are all survivors adapting different strategies to survive. We just decided that you’re different from the previous people that came here and wanted to know why." He looked at Kai and Adrian seriously. "And now we can see it."

Alexis released a tired breath. "I am sick of this place, and as she said, we are exhausted from being trapped in an endless circle of torture and pain. Just let us follow you. And also let us lead you right to safety because you will die if those creatures get you two."

A deep rumble suddenly shook the ground. Everyone froze. Then came a growl. It was so deep that Kai could feel the vibration in his chest.

Another sound followed. Then another. Something was moving. And judging from the direction of the noise, it was coming from the sea.

Talia immediately looked toward the distant shoreline. "You see what I told you guys? They’re coming already." Her expression hardened. "And this is them looking for their meal. We have to go to our hideout and wait things out before it’s too late." She motioned for everyone to follow her.

Kai didn’t move immediately. Instead, an idea suddenly crossed his mind. "Haven’t you tried to fight back?" he asked. "I’m sure they can be killed."

Everyone stopped. Their faces told him enough before anyone even answered.

Mary finally spoke. "They aren’t just one of them." Her voice was low. "In the dead of night, they go around making noises that aren’t human and spread across the island. We can’t really kill them because there are a lot more than the eyes can catch, and they’re faster than anything we’ve encountered." She swallowed. "That was how we lost many of our members because we tried to do what you suggested."

Kai’s expression changed. He had expected them to be weak survivors hiding from something they could eventually overcome. But this was different. If the creatures were numerous, extremely fast, and capable of hiding throughout the island, fighting them blindly would only get them killed.

Kai stopped any further suggestions. Whatever they were dealing with, they had to leave this place. It was worse than anything he could handle. Something you couldn’t properly see, couldn’t track, and couldn’t easily kill was far more dangerous than a monster standing directly in front of you.

Adrian glanced toward him. "So what now, Kai? Are we going to follow them? People that tried to kill us?"

Kai sighed. He looked at the survivors again. For the first time, he didn’t see the hostile people who had captured them. He saw exhausted survivors. Terrified people who had spent who knew how long trapped on this island, watching their friends and family disappear one by one. They wanted freedom badly. Badly enough to do almost anything for it.

And that was exactly what worried him. What if they turned on Kai and Adrian the moment they realized these two could potentially help them escape? But killing them wouldn’t solve anything. If these people were truly desperate to leave, eliminating them would only leave Kai and Adrian alone on an island filled with monsters.

Kai finally made his decision. "You heard that, didn’t you?" He looked at Adrian. "And you know what’s below that sea. You also know the abominations we’ve encountered."

Adrian’s expression became serious. "If this is their hunting ground, we have to hide."

Kai glanced at the darkening sky. "Of course, the priority is finding Luna. I’m sure she’s okay." He paused. "But we can’t find her if we’re butchered first. So come on, Adrian. Let’s go."

Adrian didn’t argue anymore. If Kai was willing to temporarily trust these people, he would follow his judgment.

The forest became darker as they moved. Talia led the way as usual, weaving between trees and avoiding certain areas without explanation. Kai kept his eyes open. The deeper they went, the thicker the forest became. The branches twisted overhead, blocking most of the remaining light until it felt as though they were walking through darkness.

Kai suddenly noticed something familiar. A thick root stretched across the ground. He remembered seeing that same plant earlier. He glanced at it as they passed. For a moment, he could have sworn the branch moved.

Kai stopped. His eyes narrowed. The branch was completely still. He stared at it for another second. Maybe it had been the wind. Or perhaps his imagination was simply getting the better of him. He decided to ignore it and continued walking.

Still, the strange feeling didn’t disappear.

After a few more minutes, Kai finally asked the question that had been bothering him. "The plane crash we saw as we stepped into the forest. Was that you people when you came here?"

The question immediately brought silence. Talia stopped walking. She didn’t turn around at first. Then she slowly looked over her shoulder. "That’s right." Her voice became quieter. "But the survivors are all dead. We came here with a boat. We are different now, but I don’t want to talk about it." She made it clear the conversation was over.

Kai nodded. He understood.

Adrian, however, wasn’t comfortable. As he maneuvered around the trees and bushes, his gaze kept shifting. Something felt wrong. He couldn’t shake the sensation that something was watching him.

"Is there something else here?" Everyone looked at him. "It seems like something is looking at me, and it’s disturbing."

Talia immediately turned. Her eyes widened. She spotted it. A branch was moving behind Adrian.

"Fuck! Down!"

Adrian reacted instantly. So did Kai. Both ducked. A sharp branch tore through the air above their heads. It struck the tree behind them with enough force to crack the bark.

But it didn’t stop there. The branch slowly lifted. Then another branch emerged from the same plant. It twisted in the air like a snake. Another followed. Soon, several long branches were hanging above them, moving with unnatural precision like venomous cobras preparing to strike.

Kai’s jaw dropped. The other survivors stared in horror.

"Since when do plants start attacking?" Kai asked.

Adrian groaned. "Obviously, the mutated ones. And this one doesn’t look ordinary." He looked toward Talia. "Don’t tell me you guys don’t know about this. Or is this a plan to kill us?"

Talia immediately took offense. "Look at us! Weren’t we attacked too? And didn’t I try to warn you?"

Before anyone could respond, the bushes around them began to shake. Rustling erupted from every direction. Then came another inhuman growl. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

Talia’s expression changed completely. This wasn’t fear of Kai and Adrian anymore. This was genuine terror.

"Run now!"

The survivors didn’t hesitate.

"Go to where we had that fallout and hide! We’ll also come. Everyone, no matter what happens, don’t look back!"

Kai grabbed Adrian’s arm. "Move!"

They sprinted. The forest suddenly came alive behind them. Branches snapped. Roots tore through the ground. The mutated plant twisted violently, its branches whipping through the air as if it were reaching for fleeing prey. One struck a tree beside Kai and ripped through the bark. Another slammed into the ground where Adrian had been standing seconds ear

lier.

The survivors scattered between the trees, following Talia as she led them deeper into the forest.